Posts Tagged With: miracles

This event, in Cana of Galilee, was the first of Jesus’s signs. He displayed his glory, and his disciples believed in him. (2:11)

While he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, several people came to trust in his name, because they had seen the signs he did. (2:23)

Add this verse from chapter 1:

“Wait a minute,” said Jesus. “Are you [Nathanael] telling me that you believe just because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You’ll see a lot more than that!” (1:50)

For John, at least at this point and in some way, seeing is believing. When faith is involved, we all know that is not always the case, but John seems to be asserting this truth. As previously noted, there are not as many miracles or “signs” in John as are recorded in the Synoptic Gospels. But John sure gets a lot of mileage out of the signs he does include. Remember the Gospel of John has a strong evangelistic purpose; he is trying to produce faith in people, seemingly from the reading of this gospel. He will play up the signs as evidence that Jesus is not just another wise teacher or good man. I am sure we will see much more on this idea as we read along this month.

Though the book does not say so, there is widespread acceptance that this gospel was written by the apostle John, who often refers to himself in the book as “the apostle whom Jesus loved” (13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20, 24). Though one of Jesus’ inner circle of apostles, John is never mentioned in the book, which makes sense if John wrote the book but doesn’t if he didn’t.

Traditionally, because of its developed theology, the Gospel of John was considered the latest of gospels, likely written around 85 or later. A good case can also be made that John was written before the destruction of the Temple and much of Jerusalem in 70 because the book refers to places in that city in the present tense. A developed theology does not have to indicate a late date.

Scholars have argued that John had various goals in writing his gospel. Maybe he was trying to write a gospel to a Greek audience, hence the emphasis on Jesus as the “word” (logos). It is certainly possible that John was trying to combat false teaching through his account of Jesus’ life. But John himself tells us the simple evangelistic purpose of his book:

These are written that you may believe (or continue to believe) that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (20:31)

Therefore, one of the fitting characteristics of John are the seven “I am” statements of Jesus, thought by many to be John’s twist on God’s self-revelation as “I AM.” John would not have us miss the point that Jesus was more than just a man. This is one of the reasons why John is often the first book non-believers are encouraged to read.

John is unlike the other gospels in many ways, supporting the belief that the other three were trying to borrow from each other and tell similar stories while John was attempting to do something very different, maybe for a very different crowd. There are no parables in John. Miracles (or “signs” as they are called in John) are not as common. John tells stories not included in the other gospels. Instead of fast action like Mark, this gospel is full of long teaching sections. For these reasons and others, John is a favorite of many people.

When read by itself, 1 Corinthians 13 is a wonderful passage. Great for weddings. An ideal chapter to learn generalities about love. Nice for ethics (I’ll guess many of us were taught to replace the word “love” in verses 4-7 with our name as a way to determine how loving we truly are). I would not wish to take any of those things away.

This chapter comes so much more alive when we read it in context — always a good principle for Bible reading. 1 Corinthians 13 is sandwiched between chapters 12 and 14. We looked at chapter 12 yesterday and saw its focus on spiritual gifts. Scan ahead and you will see that chapter 14 has the same focus. Paul’s beautiful diatribe on love is best understood within the context of a church that is using spiritual giftedness of boast and divide.

Recall that we ended yesterday with Paul claiming there is a better gift than tongues or prophecy or miracles, that there is a “better way” to live than the way of competition and glory based on performance (12:31). What is that better gift, that better way?

If I should have prophetic gifts, and know all mysteries, all knowledge, too; have faith, to move the mountains, but have no love — I’m nothing. . . . Love never fails. But prophecies will be abolished; tongues will stop; and knowledge, too, be done away. (13:2, 8)

Love is that better gift. The best way to judge spiritual fervor is love. A Christian has reached the zenith when they love. A church can be congratulated when they love. If you want to pursue a gift, go after love.

And not just any kind of love. A selfless, sacrificial, enduring love that banishes the attitudes the Corinthians’ competition was bringing: jealousy, envy, pride, anger, and vindictiveness.

Spiritual gifts were only intended to build up a church until the complete and perfect (13:10) outpouring of divine love came to the church, and to a large part that was dependent on the submissive obedience of Christians to the better way of love. None of the fancy acts we see on those religious television shows with ladies with purple hair and men with perfect haircuts, shiny teeth and designer suits will be in heaven. They were only a vehicle to an end. Heaven is most of all characterized by love. Love will go on for ever.

A church can major in the minors and they may just find it only fractures the bonds of fellowship. Or they can keep the main thing the main thing and find that it builds up the very building blocks of community.

My two sons are this way. They race to get to the supper table first. The race to see who can get in the front seat of the car first. They one-up each other when tell stories about the day. Everything is a contest to prove one is better than the other. I have also watched with frustration the tears and lashing out that comes when one does not win or measure up or gets pushed down so the other can stand tall.

The Corinthian Christians were a whole lot like my sons. Everything in the church had become a contest for superiority. Who is the wisest, the most articulate, the most respected in society? Who has the best education? Who follows the best leader? Who is a part of the best group within this fragmented church? Who can show the most grace? Who has the best food for the Lord’s Supper (a true meal at that time)?

Now it was the Holy Spirit, this great gift of God, given to us to make us holy and pure. Yet the gifts of the Spirit were being used to create distinctions and airs of superiority. How spiritual a person was had even become something that puffed up the Corinthians.

Paul reminds them that the whole point of the outpouring of the Spirit and the gifts that come with the Spirit is so “that all may benefit” (12:7). They are meant to unify and draw people closer together in dependence, not split apart in competition. There may be many different parts or “members” but there is only one “body” (12:20). They together make up “the Messiah’s body” (12:27) and they need each other. As we often see in the Bible, this point is emphasized by the use of repetition. The word “all” is used 8 times. “Same” occurs 7 times. Ten times the word “one” is used to mean a complete entity. Last, the word “whole” is repeated 3 times. Let there be no mistake, Christians exist to be a part of something far bigger than what they can create themselves.

Then Paul ends this chapter in the most unexpected and seemingly contradictory way:

You should be eager for the better kinds of gifts. Now I’m going to show you a better way, a much better way. (12:31)

Three times Paul uses the word “better.” But if you say something is better to a bunch of hyper-competitive, pompous, attention-seekers of course they are going to want it. Maybe this is something else they can use to divide and puff up. What is this better thing? What could be better than the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit?